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Background: Healthcare associated foodborne outbreaks (HA-FBO) can result from exposure to contaminated food in premises where highly vulnerable patients are cared, including hospitals and nursery homes. The probability of developing severe foodborne diseases such as invasive listeriosis is much higher for susceptible populations. There is limited knowledge on the data on food exposures that could be used to investigate HAFBOs. There is also lack of data relating to specific policies in the health facilities aimed to prevent the administration of potentially risky foods, possibly bringing them from home. Methods: This study was in the framework of One Health EJP Project NOVA. A semistructured questionnaire was administered to 4 general hospitals, 1 specialist clinic and 3 nursing homes located in the Abruzzo and Molise regions, Italy. The questionnaire included 25 questions in 3 sections (I. General organization of the catering service; II. Food menu data; III. Food from home). Results: In most facilities (75%) external catering companies used inhouse kitchens. Trace-back of food to individual patients was possible in 5 premises out of 8 (62.5%), but only in 1 nursery home out of 3 (33.3%). Data were collected in electronic format (hospitals) or paper (nursery homes) and stored 1-12 months. Food at risk of Listeria monocytogenes were not excluded from the menus, such as pre-sliced cooked meat products (served in 4 out of 8 premises, 50%), smoked fish (20%), soft cheese (20%). The consumption of food brought from home was possible in ‘‘special occasions’’, mostly in the nursery homes (66.6%). Conclusions: In case of HA-FBO it could be difficult to trace back the food particularly in the nursery homes where food data are not individually collected and usually on paper. More studies are needed in order to understand the effective exposure to foodborne pathogens, given that some types of foods considered by EFSA as at high risk of microbial contamination are commonly served. Key messages: · Served food could not be traced back to the patient mostly in nursery homes. · Foods at risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination are commonly served to patients and residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual meeting of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, EuroEcho-Imaging, was held in Milan, Italy, in December 2018. In the present paper, we report a summary of the 'Highlights' session. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After rising for years, vaccination rates in Italy fell until 2015 because of unfounded safety concerns, abetted by some government and court actions. Public education and a 2017 law on mandatory vaccination have boosted rates since then. So far only a few papers have examined the correlation between beliefs and attitudes towards vaccines and the level of trust in the scientific community regarding vaccinations in the general population. Methods: Data were extracted from the Italian section of the last two editions of the European Social Survey (ESS), the first carried out between September and November 2017, the latter between December 2018 and March 2019. A descriptive analysis was conducted using survey data. In the two editions respectively 2,626 and 2,745 persons were interviewed. The main outcomes assessed was comparing the two surveys, so as to highlight the key changes in public opinion on vaccines. Results: In the 2017 edition, 19% of the respondents believed in the harmfulness of vaccines, out of them 29% did not even have trust in the scientific community while those confident in the safety of vaccines were 50%. In the 2019 survey, the proportion of those who believed vaccines to be harmful fell to 15%, the undecided rose to 15%, those opposed to the idea that vaccines are harmful became 63%, not responding people were 8%. Correspondingly, trust in the scientific community about vaccines has increased from 57% in the first survey to 70% in the last one. Conclusions: The scientific community and research bodies in the last years, in support of the Ministry of Health, have made a huge effort in the public debate on vaccines. This might play a role in increasing the public confidence in the safety of vaccines and the adherence to vaccination campaigns, changing the climate with regard to vaccination in general. Key messages: Italians changed their opinions on vaccines between two ESS surveys. The scientific community had a relevant role in the public debate on vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health, particularly among young adults, has been severely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, partially because of both forced social isolation measures and loneliness. Numerous papers on the short-term consequences of lockdown measures reported high psychological distress, as well as an increase of depressive and anxiety symptoms and psychotropic drug use. This study evaluated potential risk and protective factors, such as resilience, loneliness, social and family context, in order to detect vulnerable individuals. Methods: This prospective longitudinal study was carried out in a two phase survey: the first one, during lockdown in Spring 2020 (T1), and, the second one, in Summer 2020 (T2), when restrictive measures were slackened. The main outcomes included the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale. The secondary outcomes included mental health care needs (MHCN), use of psychotropic drugs and family and social contacts. Results: This study evaluated risks and protective factors in mental health in 825 emerging adults aged from 18 to 25 years old in Belgium and in Italy. Participants were divided into three groups according to their MHCN before and after lockdown measures. 5% of the participants experienced an increase in MHCN at T1, including the start of a psychotropic treatment. At T1, statistically significant differences were found in mean RSA total scores and RSA Perception of Self scores between groups. At T2, the group who experienced an increase in MHCN displayed a significant decrease of mean loneliness scores compared with the other groups. This decrease is linearly correlated with resilience competencies. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictive measures cause a negative impact on youth’s mental health, particularly among vulnerable individuals. Resilience and social contacts are protective factors that need to be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]